


𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳

by violetardor



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Basically just protective, I don’t wanna kill Marco but I have to :(, PERIODT, Reiner is a big brother figure, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, This fic gets rlly spicy, This work is also posted on quotev, Under indigoviolets, abuse warning btw, also death lol, bert X mc platonically, bertolt is whipped on the dL, but I wrote him.., daddy issues lmao, ereh, fuck that guy, its aot what did you expect?, jean x Marco cause fuck you, manipulative father check, mc is a bi queen, mc is also apart of the Eren trio, mc is part of their trio, mcs dad is an ass, seriously why aren’t there more?, trust me - Freeform, we need more platonic fanfics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29133819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetardor/pseuds/violetardor
Summary: 【 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘬𝘪 𝘯𝘰 𝘬𝘺𝘰𝘫𝘪𝘯 】Avery Natt, an unknown girl, who came from nowhere. Raised brutally by her father, she is still haunted by his memories. Hearing him in her sleep, seeing him in the mirror, feeling him deep in the night. Soon she joins the training corps in hopes she might catch a glimpse of freedom. She meets people who are nice to her for the for the first time in her life and soon, she realizes just how wrong she was. Now she has a decision to make and she just hopes it's the right one.
Relationships: Platonic Relationships - Relationship
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you for reading my story :) I just want to say that I am not introducing any of the main Snk character cast until Chapter 2. Apologizes, but it's for plot reasons. My updating schedule after chapter 2 will probably be kind of wack, just because I dont have it planned out yet, but I'm hoping it will regularly be around 2-3 weeks. Anyways, if you enjoyed this story, please subscribe and comment! Also, before I go, tell me your thoughts on Avery's father. I tried making him as hateable as possible but I'm not super confident if I achieved that or not. Also, this work IS published on Quotev, by myself of course. If you have a Quotev account, my user is @violetardor. Anyways, I'll go now :) Thank you if you read this note and if you ever need someone to talk to, just message me ❤

**  
Key: daggers 🗡 are timeskips**

**keys 🗝 are flashbacks/dreams**

  
  


Avery struggled to catch her breath, the rise and fall of her chest stuttering. Her eyes were struck wide open, unblinking; like a deer caught in headlights. Her head was swarming with thoughts.

“Too much! Too much!” she thought. The voices were too loud. Overlapping and speaking too fast. “It hurts! Stop!” she pleaded.

The brown haired girl tried everything from ignoring the constant chatter to harming herself. Nothing worked this time. “I'm sorry father. Please forgive me.” she begged, but there was no reassurance-- no, “It's ok baby, you tried your best, even if you let me down.”

The taste of her tears were salty. It reminded her of the ocean she dreamed of so often, wondering if it really tasted that salty.

Then suddenly, in the back of her head, a voice stood out from the others, “He’ll never let you go see the ocean. You haven’t even seen the sky,” she stopped crying. At that moment , time stood still.

“Kill him, its the only way to freedom,” chanting, it continued. “Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.” seemingly in a trance, she slid out from beneath her covers and silently walked towards her training daggers.

“Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.” the other voices started chanting as well.

Avery grabbed one of her daggers, not caring which one, for she only had one thing on her mind. The ten year old girl silently walked out of her room, making no noise as she skillfully walked towards her father’s bedside, her heart pounding. She wondered if it would wake him. Fearful brown eyes looked down at the rise and fall of her father's chest, breaths falling in sync. She brought the dagger down.

🗡

Avery stirred awake with a groan. She had gotten use to the feeling of sore muscles, but nevertheless, it was not a pleasant feeling. She reached to her bedside to grab her candle; which for the most part, was still burning and going strong, she did however transfer the flame to a new candle. During this process-- the same process she did in routine everyday-- always felt foreign. The brown haired girl longed to see the sunlight she read about in her father’s books. She was tired of seeing pitch black every waking moment, but alas, this was her life, which she loved, for the most part.

 _‘What more could happiness be than living for father?’_ She reminded herself. Though there was still that lingering voice, floating in the back of her head, letting her know that there is happiness in freedom.

Avery blissfully ignored the thought and continued with her routine of making her father’s breakfast. She knew exactly what he wanted and exactly how he liked it. She had memorized it after cooking it wrong and disappointing her father. She remembered how her incompetence caused her father to starve the rest of the day. She felt so shameful that day, an unbearable feeling she wished not to feel again. Lost in her memories, Avery jumped as she felt muscled arms wrap around her middle. Unknowingly to the ten year old girl, a pit grew in the bottom of her stomach. “Good morning father.” she greeted. After a second or two, Avery felt her father unwrap his arms and sit down at the table.

“Good morning, baby.” he replied.

She took the food off the stove and carefully placed it on her father’s plate. “I hope you enjoy the food I made for you father, I made sure its just the way you like.”

Avery’s father smiled at her and she felt her heart clench. “It looks very good, thank you Avery.”

The brown haired girl basked in the praise, something she didn't get often. The smell of the food made Avery drool. Her father had very strict rules when it came to eating, and unfortunately in this case, its was no eating before training. And training was right after breakfast. Lost in her thoughts, Avery didnt even notice her father was done already.

“Avery darling, wash my dishes and go get ready for training. I'll be waiting downstairs. Don't make me wait.” he got up and briefly kissed Avery’s forehead.

“Yes, father.” she mumbled and made a move towards the dishes.

Once she was done she made her way to her room. Training was hard, but Avery never complained because she knew her father was taking his time to train her. The whole reason her father started training was because Avery needed to be able to take care of herself. If she weren't so weak, her father wouldn't have to waste his time training her. Therefore, she never felt the urge to voice a complaint. Even when she wasn't able to walk, or she passed out from over-exertion. It was all for her father. After getting dressed and grabbing her equipment, Avery made her way down to the basement, where her father waited.

“You are late, Avery.” her father scolded the ten year old.

“I'm sorry, father.” Avery hung her head in shame. ‘God can't you do anything right?!’ she mentally scolded herself.

“It's over with now, just dont disappoint me during training, ok baby?” Avery nodded her head and leapt forward.

🗡

Harsh panting was the only thing that could be heard throughout the room. Voices swarmed around Avery’s mind. It made her head pound. _‘It hurts. It hurts!’_ Her mind screamed. The brown haired girl curled into herself, unable to do anything about the angry buzzing in her ears.

A few feet away, Avery’s father waited, watching in amusement. “Is the training too harsh, baby? Don't make us end early. Remember, I take my personal free time to train you.” he said in fake concern.

Avery blinked, seemingly snapping out of a trance. Slowly, she curled her hands into fists and started pounding her head. She did not stop when blood ran down her forehead. Only when the voices stopped did her movements falter. “I'm sorry father, it won't happen again.” she apologized.

“Its ok baby, I think we’ll end for today anyway.”

Avery’s head snapped forward. Panicking, Avery sprung up and grabbed her father’s shoes. “No! Please don't! I'm sorry father! I won't do it again, I'm sorry!” she pleaded.

Her father hatefully glared at her and kicked her across the room. Avery violently crashed into the wall with a pained grunt. “Stop this nonsense right now Avery!” her father growled lowly. Tears sprung to Avery’s eyes. She had wasted her father’s time again. The ten year old felt guilt creap into her heart. Her father slowly made his way to Avery’s bruised and bloodied figure. As her father brought his hand to her face, the brown haired girl flinched back. Avery’s father forcefully grabbed her chin. “You will not back away from your father. I care so much about you, and you just flinch away from my touch. Do you even love me? Imagine what you are doing to my feelings.” he reprimanded. 

“I'm sorry father, I do love you, very much.” she looked away in guilt.

He sighed. “I will retire early tonight. Go make me dinner and don't even think about making food for yourself, understood? That's your punishment for tonight.”

Avery nodded. “Yes father.”

And with that, Avery’s father made his way out, unaware of the heated glare a pair of brown eyes sent his way, the little voice in the back of her head, repeating the same thing from that morning.

🗡

Avery shivered. Between not eating dinner tonight and the lack of fire, it was safe to say the brown haired girl was freezing. She pulled her thin blanket-- which was basically equivalent to nothing-- over her shoulders in hopes it would will her to sleep. Unfortunately, tonight was a sleepless night. Or so it seemed. Back when Avery’s mother was still alive, she used to hum the ten year old a lullaby whenever she had trouble sleeping. Her mother said it had been in their family for generations. Although long forgotten, the familiar tune unconsciously made its way out of Avery’s lips. And soon enough, Avery was lulled to sleep. 

🗝

_Avery was surrounded in darkness. She called out. “Hello?” her voice echoed into what seemed a dark abyss. Peculiarly, it seemed as though time had stopped. Avery had no idea where she was. “Hello?” she tried again. Once again, her voice echoed into the dark abyss. This time, however, a small light made its way in the middle of the darkness. Weirdly, in the shape of a door. The pale girl made her way towards the light. After what seemed like forever, Avery uneasily stepped through the door. And like the crack of a whip, her surroundings changed._

Avery found herself standing in the middle of the basement. “What?” she questioned, utterly confused. the ten year old looked around, suddenly noticing how off the basement looked.

She didnt miss the scratches on the floor or the blood streaks leading to the back of the basement. Curiously, Avery squatted and examined the blood marks. She ran a finger through it and brought up warm liquid. ‘Fresh.’ she deduced. Anxiously, the brown haired girl thought of her father and quickly --but cautiously-- followed the recent trail of blood. Soon enough, Avery reached the end, which was weirdly, empty. The only indicator of the blood’s source being a crimson puddle and more scratches.

Avery put her guard down, a million questions floated through the pale girl's head. ‘Where was the source? Why am I here? What happened?’

Suddenly, the temperature dropped-- the room was freezing. Avery stiffened as she felt an unknown presence behind her. With her heart pounding, the ten year old tightly closed her eyes, held her breath and cautiously turned around. Hesitating, the brown haired girl sucked in a breath and peaked through one eye. She breathed out and opened both of her eyes.

‘Nothing.’ Avery laughed, relieved that she was safe. Now that the adrenaline rush was gone, Avery noticed that the presence was gone, however, the room was still freezing. Nevertheless, the pale, ten year old turned back around to focus on the actual matter at hand. And as soon as the relief came, it went.

Avery tensed and her eyes widened. She let out a choked scream and fell back. The putrid smell of decaying flesh reached her nose, causing her to gag. Every bone in her body screamed at her to run away. She regained what little she had of herself and picked herself up to scramble away, but a freezing, cracked hand gripped her ankle and ripped her back, causing her to slam her head off the floor. Avery saw little black dots. Not even recognizing the blood gushing out of her head, she clawed at the floor, trying to get away from the undead figure. She sobbed, struggling to catch her breath, the figure kept pulling her back to the puddle of blood, where she soon laid at an unnatural angle. Catching her consciousness, she looked up and stared face to face with the disturbing face of her dead father. As soon as the pale girl locked eyes with her father, red hot pain shot up her head. She let out a pained scream.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! It hurts! Please stop!"

With all the strength she could muster, Avery managed to throw her dead father off of her. Now filled with absolute anger, Avery socked her father in the face.

Unfazed, her father’s jaw broke open and let out the most bone chilling screech the ten year old had ever heard. Petrified, Avery screamed until her throat turned raw and woke up in her room.

In a cold sweat, Avery struggled to catch her breath, the rise and fall of her chest stuttering. Her eyes were struck wide open, unblinking; like a deer caught in headlights. Her head was swarming with voices, another panic attack ensuing.

 _‘Too much! Too much!’_ The voices were too loud. Overlapping and speaking too fast. She was shaking, her lips trembling. _‘It hurts! Stop!’_ she pleaded. Never in her life had Avery dreamt something like that. It seemed to have also caused one of her rare panic attacks.

The girl tried everything, from ignoring the constant chatter to harming herself. Nothing worked this time. Her father never liked when she had panic attacks. She felt so bad. _‘I’m sorry, father. I'm sorry, father.’_ she pleaded. But there was no reassurance-- no, “It's ok baby, you tried your best, even if you let me down.”

The taste of her tears were salty. it reminded her of the ocean she dreamed of so often, wondering if it really tasted that salty.

Then suddenly, in the back of her head, a voice stood out from the others, “He’ll never let you go see the ocean. You haven’t even seen the sky,” Avery gripped her head. It couldn't be true, her father always told her they’d see the ocean together.

“He doesn't care about you, he never did.” Avery refused to listen to the voice. After all, everything her father did was for her happiness.

“Are you sure?” the voice asked. Then suddenly, like a revelation, Avery knew the answer; and time stood still. “You know what to do, Avery” the pale girl stopped crying, her breathing slowing. “Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.” it chanted. Seemingly in a trance, the brown haired girl slid out from beneath her covers and silently walked towards her weapon case.

“Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.” the other voices starting.

Avery grabbed one of her daggers, not caring which one, for she only had one thing on her mind. Already out the room, Avery silently tiptoed towards her father’s room, she made no noise as she skillfully peaked over her father’s bedside. Heart pounding, Avery wondered if it would wake her father. Fearful brown eyes looked down at the rise and fall of her fathers chest. And with their breaths falling in sync, Avery brought the dagger down, lodging it in her father's throat. Her father’s eyes burst open, his mouth wide open, gasping for air that wouldn't come in. Warm, crimson blood squirted and gushed out of his neck, staining Avery and the raggedy bed sheets with fluid.

As he uttered his last breath, he locked eyes with his only offspring, and gasped out three words, “I love you.” and with those three words, Avery broke down. Dropping down on her knees, she sobbed, taking in gasps of air. Regret in the very deep of her bones, those three words on repeat into her head, like a broken record. And as if she just realized what she had done, the ten year old stood up to glance at her father. Guilt clawed and ripped the insides of her heart as she stared into the now lifeless brown eyes. Trying to get that last bit of comfort, the somber girl climbed into the soaked sheets, and curled into her father’s dead body, crying herself into a restless slumber. Ignorance is bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Attack on Titan or any of the characters, except for Avery Natt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heyo 👋🏻 just wanted to come in and say that after the next chapter, there won’t be a new chapter for 2 more weeks. I originally posted this on Quotev, and I posted this a little later than I intended, so the updating schedule lines up with publishing date. So expect a third chapter in a couple days :) Thank you so much for reading ❤️

Avery woke up with a start. She quickly glanced over to her father, who was luckily, still deeply asleep. The ten year old girl heaved out a sigh. She had woken up late again, her body trying to make up for its lack of rest these past couple of days. Lately, everytime the brown haired girl tried to get some sleep, her dreams were plagued with images of her dead father. Avery didn't know why she was seeing these images, but it was affecting her sleep quality and that annoyed the girl greatly. Slowly, she rose from the bed, trying to not wake her father, and quietly made her way downstairs to start breakfast.

The smell of food caused Avery’s stomach to grumble. The poor girl hadn’t eaten in days, her father refusing to revoke his “no-food” punishment. Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time Avery served this type of punishment, so the ten year old embraced the familiar feeling with a warm smile and open arms. _’After all,’_ she thought, _‘anything father brings upon me is for the better.’_ True to this statement, the naive girl thought she came out of each punishment stronger, however, by now, she could barely stand without trembling. As her stick-like legs could no longer hold up what was left of her body weight. 

The young girl suddenly felt an icy shiver run up her spine. Brown eyes skittishly glanced into the semi-dark house, trying to catch the culprit. This had been going on ever since her first nightmare. The paranoid girl would feel a ghostly presence, cold hands, or even spine-chilling whispers. But every time Avery thought she had the perpetrator, no one was there. It frustrated the girl to no end, but there was nothing she could do about it, so she just tried to ignore it. 

Pale hands skillfully took the pan off the heat and slid the food onto a plate. With the utmost care, Avery set the delicious looking— and smelling— food, down on the table and called for her father. The girl patiently waited for him to come down and eat his breakfast. But what she didn’t notice, or seem to notice— for that matter— was the rotting, fly-infested food that littered the kitchen table. Weeks worth of uneaten food packed the unsanitary eating area, the smell atrocious. And in the center of it all, the young girl who went obvious to this problem and stood with a content smile adorning her sickly face. 

🗡

Later in the evening, the house got colder and the darkness became more ominous. Again, Avery had waited the whole morning for her father to come down and eat his food. Said man had yet to arrive. The food was obviously cold by now, but the young girl wasn’t particularly concerned about that. This had been happening for awhile, actually. Avery assumed her father was just giving her the silent treatment. Trying to connect the dots, the brown haired girl remembered that she hadn’t even seen her dad get out of bed yet. Now extremely worried, the pale girl bit her lip. ‘What if father’s sick?’ Her father rarely got sick, but when he did, he did not admit it, going on and on about pride. But the young girl knew better, so with a new found determination, she climbed the stairs leading up to her and her father’s shared room. 

Avery quietly creeped into the dark bedroom. Not fond of the surrounding shadows, she quickly lit a candle and set it down on the bedside dresser. Being a doctor himself, Avery’s father had taught the girl some basic medicine. The brown haired girl was now very grateful she had this skill. Carefully, she tip-toed her way towards the bedside and timidly shook her father awake. Getting no response, she tried again, but with a soft, “Father?” Again, Avery got no response. Trying to calm herself down, the concerned girl put her hand to her father’s forehead. She flinched. Her father’s forehead was unexpectedly cold. “That’s not normal.” She whispered to herself. 

The young girl tried to rack through her mind, trying to make sense of what was happening, denying the only result that came to her mind everytime. Avery threw her hand under her father’s nose, but found no breath. The young girl choked back a sob and glanced towards her father’s chest, which was unusually still. Watery brown eyes roamed the body, taking in the tiny blood stains not previously acknowledged. Tearing her eyes away from the dried crimson, the brown haired girl finally acknowledged the deep stab wound logged in her father’s neck. The girl groaned in agony, her body shook with sobs as the memories of that night flooded her mind. She trembled and stumbled away from the carcass, her back crashing into the wall. 

“No, no, no, no! What have I done? What have I done?” she moaned in pain, her ears pounding. 

The distressed girl had been living in denial, believing she was still living her ‘perfect’ life, with her father still alive. She could deny all she wanted, but sooner or later, the memories would come back to haunt her. To haunt her of the sin she committed. Cold arms wrapped around her trembling figure, trying to comfort the girl. Her heart sank.

“Oh, Avery, my dear. Look at what you’ve done to your poor old father.”

The sobbing girl shook her head. She didn’t want to look at it again. The stiff body’s smell a grim reminder of what else it looked like, the same sight that fueled her nightmares.

“LOOK AT ME!” her father demanded. 

Avery fearfully snapped her head up, her hand coming to her mouth as her sobs grew harder. Maggots and beetles roamed her father’s decaying body. His skin peeled and paled, his hair balding in spots. The young girl gagged and fell to her knees as horrid images flooded her mind. Her nonexistent dinner coming back up, her throat burning as she emptied the contents of her stomach. Tears of pain and anguish fell from her eyes as she tried to recollect herself. Avery froze as a bone-chilling thought ran through her mind. Panicking, the young girl scrambled to get up. _‘I have to get rid of the body.’_ She remembered. Even though no one ever visited the house, paranoia gripped Avery’s body, encouraging the girl to rid herself of the evidence. 

She quickly walked room to room, looking for anything that could be of use to her, collecting more than a couple items on the way. After racking up everything she needed, the young girl returned to the remains of her father. She shakily grabbed an axe and moved towards the carcass. She hovered the axe over her father’s neck, and stopped. The young girl knew she needed to do this, however, something held her back. A deep, sorrowful feeling restrained her. A few tears escaped her eyes. She didn’t want to do this. The ten year old watched as icy, pale hands stabilized her arms. Her father’s soothing voice reassured her, his cool breath on her ringing ears. Then, everything went silent. Avery's breath softened and slowed, her tense body relaxed. The noise in her ears calmed. She took a deep breath in and closed her eyes. She was serene. With her father whispering, “Do it” in her ear, the girl snapped her eyes open and brought the axe down with as much force as she could muster. The axe lodged into her father’s neck. Cold, crimson liquid squirted onto the girl’s face each time she dismembered a limb from the corpse, where said limbs then went into burlap sacks. When the young girl finished, she heaved the burlap sacks into a small wooden wagon, grabbed a shovel, and carried the wagon downstairs where she set it in front of the door.

Grabbing the metal handle, she took a deep breath and opened the door to the outside. The brown haired girl’s pupils dilated as she stared awestruck at the night sky. _‘This is nothing like father’s books.’_ The mesmerized girl thought. The stars were so much brighter than candles, the poor girl had to squint because her eyes weren’t used to the light. The air was crisp and cool. The young girl took a huge breath, gulping in air like it was her last breath. It was like nothing she’d ever experienced, as weird as it sounded. Avery shook her head, snapping her out of her trance. She had a task to get done, after all, she had the rest of her life to admire the stars. 

After Avery was finished and she arrived back home, a sense of dread overcame her. The curious girl didn’t want to go back in, she was locked inside the house her whole life. She just got a taste of the outside and going back inside seemed… suffocating. It wasn’t fair. _’But… I’m free now.’_ She realized. Avery could move to the sea, live the life she's always dreamed of! However, the young girl did not know how to get there, nor did she have the money. It seemed for now, at least, Avery would have to stay inside this nightmarish house. For tonight, however, she would live her fantasy and sleep under the stars. She wanted to take in as much as she could. So dropping the handle of the wagon, the ten year old girl energetically shot up and started dancing through the meadow, raking her hands through the long blades of grass until she felt dizzy with euphoria. After awhile, the girl was completely drained, so she collapsed into the dewey grass, startling a few fireflies. She couldn’t believe she was finally outside, _‘with nothing holding me back.’_ she thought with a smile. And with her eyes drooping down, the girl fell into a peaceful slumber.

🗡

Warm brown eyes fluttered open, then immediately snapped back shut. Avery yelped in pain. “Agh! My eyes!” She yelled out. Her hands bolted to her eyes, trying to ease the pain away. The unfortunate girl had made direct eye contact with the sun. Avoiding looking up, she opened her eyes and stood up, stretching a little. She yawned. Finally, after years of dreaming about sunlight, Avery’s dream came true. The young girl had to pinch herself. Long, green grass and vibrant, multi-colored flowers tickled the girl’s legs. Bees kissed the sweet blossoms, while wild animals played in the surrounding forest. The faint sound of rushing water reached her ears, making her mouth feel suddenly parched. Avery looked up at the sky, which was a charming periwinkle blue. Big, fluffy clouds moved lazily across the sky, bringing intermittent shade. The amazed girl gasped. “Books really don’t compare!” she grinned. 

The young girl had quite the day today. Last night, she came to the conclusion that to be able to survive, she would have to eat. Unfortunately, the brown haired girl had used all of her stock of food, cooking for her dead father. So today, the girl would make her way to a nearby town and go shopping for some food. It doesn’t need to be said that the ten year old was ecstatic. “Okay, make a list, Avery. What do you need?” She asked herself. Thinking of some recipes, the girl quickly compiled a mental shopping list. Enthusiastically, she made her way back to the house for some money and new clothes. She remembered some places where her late father hid money, so she had no trouble collecting a good amount. (But she did have to sift around a little.)

Avery quickly got cleaned up and dressed, grabbing a basket on her way out. She closed the door, not bothering to lock it and started skipping down the path. The young girl hummed a little tune to herself as she made her way through the breezy meadow, the wind picking up the bottom of her dress. She giggled in delight as the strands of her hair tickled her cheeks. The brown haired girl looked down at her map, trying to figure out where to turn. It took a little digging, but thankfully, Avery found where her father kept his map. Which was now leading her towards a— closer than originally thought— town called Shiganshina. Reading the map was a little difficult for the girl, but luckily the girl stumbled into some very nice farmers who helped point her in the right direction. The young girl deflated a little when they told her she still had a long way to go.

🗡

Climbing over a small hill, Avery slightly saw some sort of massive building. Being first thing other than nature that the girl had seen during her journey, a surge of energy shot through her and the young girl started sprinting towards the structure, a huge grin stretching across her sun-kissed face.

As she raced to the top, her brown eyes analyzed the massive structure. _‘Wow, that’s even bigger than I thought! Is that Shiganshina?’_ She wondered. The girl was a bit confused to say the least. She didn’t understand if the structure was a building or the town. _‘It looks like there’s an opening where people are going in, I’ll go ask someone if this is Shiganshina.’_ The young girl carefully made her way down the hill and onto the dirt road leading towards the gate. She was careful not to get into anyone’s way, a bit weary of the large wagons and horses. _’Must be merchants.’_ Avery concluded. 

The girl put her map into the basket as she reached the gate, patiently waiting behind two other kids. They looked to be around her age, one a girl with black hair and the other a boy with brown hair. They were both wearing typical peasant clothes, with the exception of the girl wearing a maroon scarf. They both carried firewood. The boy was speaking to an older man while the black haired girl stood off to the side. The older man looked strange to Avery. He was wearing normal clothes for the most part, however, he also wore a tiny tan jacket with a rose emblem, and a strange metal contraption around his waist. Other than that, he had almost buzzed, blonde hair and a wispy mustache. He appeared to be drunk. The brown haired girl could tell because sometimes her father would come home intoxicated. Of course, this man seemed a lot more mellow. 

“What if **they** break through the walls?” The boy yelled, catching Avery’s attention and shocking the strange man and his buddies.

_‘Who are they?’_ the girl questioned. _‘Why would they break in?’_ She watched as another guy came up, laughing. He too seemed intoxicated. Intrigued, Avery leaned in to hear the conversation better. 

“The doctor’s kid has got some fire in him!” The new guy joked. “If something happens, we’ll be sure to hop into action. But you know,” he continued. “There hasn’t been a single incident in a hundred years.” He finished. 

Avery blinked. _‘An incident?’_ She thought. 

The brown haired boy got into a defensive position. “But!” He started. “My father says that it is times like these that are the most dangerous!” He exclaimed.

Offput, the blonde man shifted his hands to his hips. “Dr. Yeager said that?” He looked up like he was pondering, making the other adult curiously glance at him. “You can’t argue with a man who saved us from an epidemic,” He finally remarked. “But this is different,” He looked backwards, referring to the people behind him. “As a soldier, you sometimes see **them** when we’re reinforcing the walls.” 

_‘Ah. So they’re soldiers.’_ Avery thought. _‘Doesn’t that mean they shouldn’t be drinking? What if something happens?’_ The brown haired girl frowned.

“But there’s no way **they** can do anything to walls 50 meters high.”

Avery’s brows furrowed. The ten year old finally took notice of the use of the word “walls”. What did the drunk soldier mean by that? Was this structure not a building? Now that the girl looked at her surroundings, she noticed how the walls had no roof. _‘So he is speaking the truth. But why are there walls?’_ The girl was brought back to how both the boy and the soldier kept referring to “them”. The brown haired girl concluded that **they** must be the reason why the walls were erected. But this left her with more questions. Why did **they** need to be kept out? And who were **they**?

“So you all have no inclination to fight **them**?” The boy questioned the blonde man.

The man answered honestly, “Not really.” 

“What?” The boy yelled out in disbelief, thrown off by the honest answer. His disbelief morphed into anger and he yelled out again. “Then you should call yourselves construction workers instead of soldiers!” Avery agreed. 

“Not a bad idea,” The blonde soldier remained unaffected. “However, only in a worst-case scenario are we soldiers deployed,” He looked down at the brown haired boy. “While we soldiers are made fun of and live for free, it is proof that everyone lives safely in peace.” He looked back at the people again. Avery glancing at the people too.

“We can sit around idly and just live while we are confined inside these walls,” The boy spoke up. “But that means we are no different than livestock.” Avery’s eyes widened, shock consumed her face. The soldier seemed to have the same response. The other men just laughed, finding the statement funny. The brown haired girl narrowed her eyes, her little respect dwindling. 

“You were right about the kid having courage” One started. 

“Though there’s nothing he can do about it.” The other finished. The blonde haired man agreed, though he didn’t seem to mean it. The two kids just started walking forward, ignoring the ordeal. 

“Hey Eren!” The blonde soldier called out to him, but “Eren” just kept walking away, not even looking back.

“What a strange kid.” One of the soldiers remarked. 

“I wonder if he wants to join the Scout Regiment?” The blonde man asked himself. Noticing Avery, the other soldier started towards her. 

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you around before. What might your name be, young lady?” This made the blonde soldier also noticed the timid girl. 

Avoiding eye contact, she replied with a “My name’s Avery Natt sir.” The blonde soldier smiled, this girl reminding him of a certain blonde boy. 

“Nice to meet you, Avery. My name’s Hannes. May I know what you might be doing here?” He politely asked.

Feeling a little better seeing Hannes’s warm demeanor, the brown haired girl looked up and smiled. “I'm just here to do a little food shopping.” She answered honestly, choosing to keep certain details out. 

Hannes smiled. “That’s a very nice thing to do, little lady.” He moved aside to let the embarrassed girl through. “If you need help just come back here and I’ll help you.” The blonde man told Avery. She nodded in appreciation and went on her way. Now that she was out of the gate, the brown haired girl could see the walls more clearly. The girl was obviously disappointed, the angry boy’s words coming back to her mind. Did this mean she would never see the ocean? Could she leave the walls? Somehow the young girl knew this was probably taboo. 

Avery tried to preoccupy her mind with shopping, but she couldn’t get that boy out of her mind. She felt as though his words really resonated within her, but she didn’t even understand half of it. The young girl felt herself inwardly sigh. 

After a while of walking around and shopping, the brown haired girl started getting tired. Besides having no energy, her basket was getting extremely heavy from all the food she was forcing in it. She was regretting not bringing a second basket. Deciding to take a little break, she started walking away from the crowd to try and find a place to rest. She stumbled into a little alleyway which led her to— what could be considered— a river bank. _‘Perfect.’_ She plopped down onto the hard dirt, wincing a little from the impact. _‘Defiantly not the best decision.’_ She thought. Avery tiredly laid down, placing her basket next to her. Her eyes fluttered shut and she tuned her ears to the calming commotion of the bustling town. The exhausted girl just started drifting off when a booming crack of thunder jolted her a few inches off the ground. The young girl landed with a grunt. 

Looking around, she saw almost everyone in the same predicament as her. They didn’t seem to know what was going on either. The young girl heard commotion coming from the main street, so she quickly got up and curiously followed the other people out of the alleyway. She glanced around and saw most people either pointing or already looking at the walls, so the girl followed suit, her eyes immediately noticing the humongous hand gripping the top, causing the grey stone to crumble. She sucked in a breath. “Just what the hell is that?” Avery exhaled a shaky breath as a massive, skinless head peaked over the wall, staring down at the tiny people. People gasped, some yelling out. Avery just kept her eyes glued on the giant.

“Impossible! That wall is 50 meters high!” She heard someone exclaim in disbelief.

But before anyone could do anything else, a huge gust of wind stormed the tiny town, causing people to fall back, Avery included. The girl squeaked as little pebbles pelted her small body. When she felt the wind die down, the girl shakily stood back up and looked at the now destroyed wall. 

The huge gust of wind was a result of the skinless monster kicking a hole in the wall. Some unfortunate souls got crushed by the large wall fragments. Despite this, Avery did not understand why people were freaking out. ‘What’s the big deal?’ She looked around, confused. Turning back around, the girl slowly made eye contact with it. Wide eyes, giant naked body, and a sadistic smile, Avery’s jaw went slack, her eyes filled with terror. The poor girl could just not make sense of the thing staring down at her. It was absolutely terrifying. With its huge, mocking smile, the giant reached its hand out to grab the ten year old girl. Reacting too late, the petrified girl was swept up by large fingers, which crushed her fragile body. The young girl squirmed, trying anything to get the monster to drop her. Realizing that nothing would work, she reluctantly made eye contact with the beast’s large, heartless eyes. The girl knew something bad was going to happen but she was powerless to stop any of it. 

“If you can hear me, please, please save me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Attack on Titan or any of the characters, except for Avery Natt.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for this chapter being so late. School has literally been kicking me in the ass. Also writers block. Yeah that’s fun. Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter (even tho the endings kinda shit). And as always, if you want to talk about anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me. ❤️

Avery's eyes were squeezed tight, fear racking her body. She felt hot air fan her face as the giant opened its large mouth. The brown-haired girl grimaced. Her heart rate picked up. It felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. But not in the good way. She knew what was to happen. She now knew why the people of Shiganshina were terrified. But it was too late. Avery realized too late. Her fate had already been decided. The young girl chuckled. ‘So this is what I get for wanting freedom. How ironic.’ She thought as tears streamed down her face.

As the giant moved her small body towards its mouth, the brown-haired boy suddenly flashed across her mind. ‘The boy was right all along.’ She thought. They weren’t prepared enough for this. Rage flared through the girl. If those soldiers had taken things more seriously, maybe all this death and destruction wouldn’t have happened. Or they could have been better prepared. She thought about yelling at them. Screaming. Scolding. The young girl didn’t even realize when she started yelling, her throat becoming raw with each, “help!” that escaped. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated. She was sure she looked like a scared animal, but the brown-haired girl did not want to die. She wouldn’t let all the pain she endured go to waste. No matter how loud she yelled, though, no one came to rescue her. The ten-year-old realized that if the soldiers were unprepared, they were probably still scrambling to compose themselves. She was on her own. Avery sucked in a breath and gritted her teeth. ‘What the hell am I supposed to do?’ She felt hopeless; within pretty good reason too, considering who she was up against. At least she had a chance with her father.

The giant’s mouth kept getting closer and closer. Fate was against the young girl, but she had to do something. So, doing the only thing she could do, the brazen girl pulled back her fist, curling her tiny, sweaty hands into tight knobs. And with a loud war cry, her fist came flying towards the monster's nose.

Somewhere within all the noise, the brown-haired girl heard a loud buzzing. She side-eyed the direction in which she heard the noise, finding nothing but a blur. The young girl only had enough time to furrow her brows in confusion before she started free falling. Avery’s heart dropped to her stomach. A scream bubbled up in her throat, but the young girl ended up choking on her spit instead. She looked up, finding the giant’s hands bloody and steaming. What was happening? Before she could hit the floor, strong arms caught her, securing her in their grasp. She looked to the side, her brown eyes meeting brown. Avery avoided the young man’s gaze, noticing the rose emblem. She frowned.

“Can you walk?” The soldier asked her. She nodded. “Good. You need to get to the evacuation boats.” The man carefully set Avery down. She wobbled a bit but eventually stabilized herself.

“Where are they?” The young girl understood the severity of the situation, so she wasted no time in asking. She just wanted to be safe as soon as possible. “I’m not from here.”

The young soldier glanced around and huffed. He bent down to grab Avery and place her on his hip. “I’ll just take you there. It’s not safe if you’re not a local.” He stated as he looked at her, determination shining in his eyes.

The soldier then started sprinting, also keeping his eyes open for any straggling Titans. He glanced towards the rattled girl, his steely eyes softening. He always had a soft spot for children, having 3 younger siblings back home. He frowned. Hopefully, they were safe. “Hey,” He spoke up, catching the young girl's attention. “What’s your name?”

The young girl was so quiet, he almost had to ask her again. “Avery.” She mumbled.

“Nice to meet you, Avery, I’m Evan.” He smiled. The shy girl blushed and hid her face in her hands. “Where are your parents?” He asked. Maybe he could drop the young girl off with them so he could get back to saving other unlucky civilians. She didn’t reply. He swallowed. The silence was loud enough. It looked like he would have to focus on getting the girl to the boats.

“Mr. Evan?” Avery mumbled.

The young soldier glanced down at the girl in his arms. “Yes?” He mused.

The girl looked up, tears threatening to spill from her mousy eyes. “Thank you.”

Evan was silent, the feeling of praise reaching his head. He gave the girl a wide smile. “Of course. It’s my job to protect people.”

Avery stared at the smiling man, her mouth slightly agape. Her heart filled with an unknown feeling. The young girl tried to hold back her sobs, the feeling in her heart growing. All the pain she was holding back came toppling down. This soldier was so kind and sweet, the brown-haired girl had never felt this feeling before, but knew she couldn’t leave him.

Tremors suddenly shook the ground, forcing Evan to slow to a jog. Quickly, the young man looked over his shoulder, noticing the familiar footsteps. Avery followed suit, glancing over his soldier, her gaze reached up to meet another pair of big, mocking eyes. She choked out a scream. One of surprise and fear. Evan stopped. He couldn’t lead the titan to the boats, he knew this. But he didn’t want to put this girl in danger. He had to think quick, he had to make contact. He carefully set the terrified girl down behind him and drew his blades, readying himself to fight and defend.

“Avery, you need to run. The boats aren’t far from here, just keep running. Don’t stop.”

She shook her head, refusing to do what he asked. “No! I won’t leave you! I can’t.”

Evan glanced back at her, his eyes hardened. The young girl flinched. “You need to leave now.” With no time to waste, the soldier used his gear to lift him towards the giant. He hooked himself between the Titan’s shoulder and nape, and swang backward as he readied himself for the kill. He flew forwards, gas seeping out of his ODM gear and as his blades got closer to the nape of the giant. Then, in a split second, there was nothing more of the man once named Evan.

The young girl’s ears rang, her eyes wide. She slowly glanced over to where Even flew, her stomach doing flips. At first, she saw nothing but crimson. But soon she came to realize that the red stain was not, in fact, the wall, but what was left of Evan. She wailed, numbness sweeping over her body like a bucket of cold water. Her hands came to her face, clamping her mouth shut, vile rising from her stomach.

She needed to move. There were monsters all around the girl that wanted to harm her. They wanted to eat her. ‘Get up.’ She demanded to herself. ‘You have to get up. Get up and run. For Evan.’ The girl tried convincing herself, but said man was gone. Why should she do something a dead man asked of her? It was pointless. The ten-year-old had lost her fight. She saw what happens when you try to fight. You die. The girl looked up, watching the giant walk away, completely ignoring her. ‘What a punishment.’ Now she won’t even be able to die.

Slowly, the brown-haired girl stood up, her body on autopilot. The girl doesn’t understand why she got up. She doesn’t understand why she keeps fighting. She had just lost everything. What was the point of trying? It hurt so much to try. ‘But, that's exactly why I must.’ She concluded. A spark of determination lit up her soul. She needs to live. She needs to live so she can protect others, so they don’t have to go through the same pain she just did.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

The girl spun around, alarmed; then relieved. There stood Hannes with the same brown-haired boy and black-haired girl from earlier. Avery noticed the look on their faces.

“Avery!” Hannes realized. “What are you doing? You should be at the evacuation site.” The brown-haired boy perked at this, not recognizing the girl, but understanding that Hannes did.

The unfamiliar girl said nothing, as words would not come out. Thankfully, the soldier seemed to understand. “Let’s go.” He motioned towards the main street. The ten-year-old girl hesitantly strode up to the trio and nodded.

🗡

When they arrived at the boats, the timid girl stood a little closer to Hannes. She looked around as people pushed and prodded, desperate to claim a spot on the boats. She looked towards the other two kids, analyzing them as they quietly reassured each other. Avery felt a lump in her throat, her heart felt heavy, for she had no one.

As soon as the soldiers cleared the three to board, the trio quickly squeezed through the people, their eyes downcast. The young girl watched as the brown-haired boy made his way towards a blonde-haired boy, the black-haired girl following. Avery made way to follow after them, before realizing that she didn’t know them. She froze and turned back around to walk in the opposite direction, pushing through people to find a place to sit. The young girl quietly sat down towards the back of the boat and looked down at her hands. So much had happened in two days. The ten-year-old’s feelings crashed together, like a sea to rocks. Her chest felt like it was caving in. She didn’t know how to process everything. The one day she finally experienced some freedom, was also the same day that freedom was taken away. The young girl felt anger simmer within her. Anger towards those monsters, anger towards those soldiers, anger towards her father, and anger towards herself.

Suddenly, a loud crash startled the girl out of her thoughts. People around her started crowding to the front of the boat, horrified gasps and low murmurs making their way through the crowd. The curious girl stood up to try and see what was going on. But it was no use. She was too small, and there were too many people. Screams of terror resonated from the boat. “Not again!” The young girl heard someone yell in disbelief. She listened, horrified, as she realized what had happened. Avery curled her hands into fists. More deaths. More innocent lives taken. When was this going to end?

“I’m going to put an end to this!” Brown eyes shot towards the familiar trio. Eren, as Avery remembered from earlier, was standing at the front of the boat, with his hands gripping the railing. She couldn’t see his face, but by the tone in his voice, she didn’t need to. “I’ll kill them all. Every last one.” He added menacingly, surprising the blonde kid next to him. After that, it was silent the rest of the boat ride.

In a terrified haste, The Central Government declared the Outliner Districts a lost cause and decreed all mankind retreat behind Wall Rose. Estimates held that nearly ten-thousand lives were lost to the Titan offensive. Or so Avery heard. There were a lot of things the girl had learned over the years living as a refugee. Well, there were a lot of things she didn’t know in the first place. She learned about the walls and their history. She learned that the monsters that caused all the destruction those years ago were called Titans. She had also learned about the military regiments. She had made a lot of memories over the years as well. More than once, she had accidentally collided with the trio. Surprisingly, Avery still wasn’t friends with them. She didn’t even know if they remembered her at all.

Days after the flood of refugees came in, the food shortage got worse. The government’s response to this problem was to send them to work in the fields. Avery didn’t mind this, it was just added training for the Cadet Corps. She greeted this opportunity with open arms. The effort to raise food, however, was a waste, as the cold ground would wield no crops. A year after that, the government forced the remaining refugees to participate in a reclamation mission. The refugees that were old enough to serve, that is. Avery knew what the government was doing. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. The young girl just couldn’t do anything about it. Out of all the people the government sent out, less than 200 came back. It was that day that the brown-haired girl vowed to join the Scouting Regiment. To defeat the titans and return the land that was once theirs. That was only three years ago, but to the now twelve-year-old girl, it only felt like yesterday.

🗡

“Straighten those spines, piss-ants! The 104th Cadet Corps Boot Camp starts now!” The Commandant screamed. “Allow me to introduce myself: I’m Commandant Keith Sadies; And you will grow to hate me!” He continued. “Training is gonna be a white-knuckle ride through Hell! If I’ve done my job, you’ll be waking up in a cold sweat from memories of this place every night!” The guy next to Avery tensed. She ignored him and kept her attention on the commandant. “Right now, you’re nothing! Livestock! But over the next three, soul-crushing years, you’ll learn to take down your own Goliath! Remember this moment when you come face to face with him, ‘cause here’s what you ask yourself: Am I a fighter, or am I feed? Am I gonna be ground up to a pulpy human grist ‘tween boulder-sized incisors, or am I gonna be the one to bite?” The twelve-year-old’s gaze darkened. She would be damned if she were the feed.

After his little introduction, Commandant Sadies left his post and slowly started examining the fresh meat. He stopped in front of a familiar blonde boy. “Hey, mop-top!” He screamed. The boy stood at attention, saluting his superior. “Sir!” He yelled back.

“What do they call you, maggot?” He demanded.

“Armin Arlert, from Shiganshina, sir!” Ah. So that was his name.

“Wow, seriously? Why would your parents curse you with such a dumb name?”

‘Damn. Harsh man.’ Avery sympathized in her head.

“It was my grandfather, sir!”

“Cadet Arlert! Why is a runt like you here?” He screamed in the blonde’s face. “To help humanity overcome the Titans!” Armin answered, his voice cracking.

“That is delightful to hear! You’re gonna be a great light snack for him!” He leaned back. “Row Three, About Face, runt!” He commanded as he grabbed Armin’s head and turned him around. He then strode off to go and terrorize another poor blonde guy. The brown-eyed girl just tuned him out, no longer interested in the “fresh meat.”

“And who might you be?” The Commandant stopped in front of Avery. The brown-haired girl stood at attention and crossed her fist over her heart.

“Avery Natt from Shiganshina, sir!” She yelled with confidence.

“Fitting name for a tiny gnat like you!” He insulted. “Why are you here?”

“To defeat the Titans and reclaim our lost land, sir!” She answered, drawing the attention of another brown-haired male.

“That’s great news, cadet! I’m sure the Titans will love to swat at you like a bug!” The Commandant finished and walked away. Avery let out a breath and stopped saluting. The unusually tall male next to her looked down at her.

“What do we have over here?” The Commandant screamed at a boy with two-toned hair. ‘He kinda looks like a horse.’ The brown-haired girl thought, amused.

“Jean Kirschtein, sir! From the Trost District!” He answered smugly.

“And why’re you here, cadet?”

Jean smirked. “To join the Military Police, sir! The best of the best!”

“That’s nice! You want to live in the interior, do you?” The Commandant questioned.

“Yes!” Jean lightened up, only to get harshly head-butted by the Commandant. Avery winced as Jean fell to his knees, cradling his forehead.

“No one told you to sit, Recruit!” The Commandant scolded. “If you can’t handle this, Kirschtein, then forget about joining the Military Police!” He then moved on to the freckled boy next to Jean. “What the hell is wrong with your face, you smiling idiot?”

“Marco Bodt at your service, sir, from Jinae! South side of Wall Rose! I aim to join the Military Police and give life and limb in service to the king!” He answered.

“Well then! That makes you an idealistic fool! And a rube!” This made Marco frown. “You want the truth? The only use the king has for your life and limbs are as Titan fodder.” The Commandant said, causing Marco’s smile to fall.

“Hey, Cue-ball! You’re up next!” The Commandant screamed at a bald boy.

“Oh me? Sir! Conny Springer, from Ragako village, sir!” Conny introduced as he saluted with the wrong arm. Avery shook her head in disappointment. The Commandant picked the bald boy up by the head.

“You have it backwards, Conny Springer!” He reprimanded. “That was the first thing you were taught! This salute represents the resolve in your heart to fight those bent on the systematic destruction of our people!” He continued, “Is your heart on your right side?” A sudden crunch and chewing sound resonated throughout the field of bodies. Everyone’s eyes landed on a female with reddish-brown hair. She had a steamed potato in her hand. The girl was oblivious to the furious glare coming from the Commandant. He dropped Conny before focusing his attention on said female. “Hey, you there. What do you think you’re doing?” He asked, eerily calm. The girl ignored him and continued munching on the starch. “You are officially on my shit list! Just who the hell are you?” He screamed in her face.

“Sasha Braus from Dauper village, at your service! Reporting for duty, sir!” She lazily saluted.

“Sasha Braus, huh? And what is that you’re clutching in your right hand?” He questioned.

“A steamed potato! It sat there in the mess hall begging to be eaten, sir!” Sasha answered.

“The theft, I understand. But here? Why eat it here of all places?”

“It looked quite delicious. And it was getting cold. So I gave it shelter in my stomach, sir.” She answered honestly.

“Why? I can’t comprehend. Why would you eat that potato?”

Sasha furrowed her brows. “Are you asking me why people eat potatoes?” She asked, dumbfounded. “I’m surprised you don’t know, sir.” She then proceeded to break the potato and presented the smaller piece to the Commandant. “Here sir. Have half.”

The Commandant took the “half” and looked at it. “Have half? Really?” He looked at the now smiling girl.

🗡

“Man, I thought Sadies was gonna kill Potato Girl.” Avery heard Conny remark. The brown-haired girl leaned on the wooden post as she watched potato girl run. The poor girl looked like she was about to pass out any second.

“I know. What a helluva first day.” She heard Eren speak up. “It’s funny. Being told to run ‘til the sun sets didn’t seem to bother her nearly as much as losing meal privileges for the next five days.”

“I think she said that she’s from Dauper. If I remember right, that’s a small hunting village up in the mountains.” The bald boy informed.

“Hey, what’s that?” Eren asked, causing everyone to look at a retreating wagon.

“They’re dropouts. They’d prefer to work in the fields.” A black-haired girl with pigtails explained. Avery was pretty sure her name was Mina.

“But, it’s only the first day.” Armin spoke up.

“That’s the way it is,” Eren explained. “If you can’t handle the pressure, you’ve gotta leave.” Brown eyes glanced over to meet green eyes. “I can’t believe anyone would rather pull plants than fight.” Avery scoffed, which put the attention on her. The girl's stomach twisted into knots, she was never a talker, but the boy’s opinion irked her. “You have something to say?” Eren asked defensively.

“Fighting isn’t for everyone, you don’t need to talk badly of them.” She spoke up, instantly regretting it. The brown-haired boy glared at her and opened his mouth to speak up before Marco beat him to it.

“I know about some of us, but you never mentioned where you were from, Eren.” He asked. The twelve-year-old girl let out a breath and silently thanked the freckled angel.

Eren smiled and put a hand on Armin’s shoulder. “The same as Armin. From Shiganshina.” Everyone tensed up at that, remembering the incident from 3 years ago.

“Oh wow. That means-” “You saw it. You were there that day.” Marco started before Conny cut him off. “Huh? Quiet!” Marco scolded. “The Colossal one? Did you see him?”

Eren relaxed, however, he still looked tense. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.” He muttered. Avery rolled her eyes, already knowing the story, having been there. She pushed off the wooden beam and walked inside the mess hall, green eyes trailing after her.

Avery grabbed some food, which was some watered-down soup, and a stale roll. She sat down at a random, empty table, glad she didn’t have to talk to anyone. The girl wasn’t one to be social.

“Hey.” Said female looked up as she saw two tall guys looking down at her. The twelve-year-old recognized them as the same guys that she was standing next to earlier this morning. “May we sit here?” The blonde guy pointed to the table.

Avery nodded. “Sure.” ‘It’s not like I own the table.’ She remarked in her head.

The blonde-haired guy laughed. “You’re right about that, I was just trying to be polite.”

The startled girl blushed and snapped her head towards him. Did she say that out loud? “Sorry!” She panicked. “I wasn’t trying to be rude, I thought I said that in my head.” The two just smiled.

“My name is Reiner.” The blonde-haired guy introduced himself. “I’m Bertholdt.” The taller male introduced himself.

The shy female smiled politely. “I’m Avery.” She mumbled.

“Hey mind if I sit here?” The three looked up to notice another male, two trays of food in his other hand. The brown-eyed girl noticed he was the horse-looking guy who wanted to join the military police. She was pretty sure his name was Jean. All three of them nodded their heads in agreement. “Great! Thank you.” Jean replied.

“Sure.” Reiner replied. “What’s up with the two trays of food?” He asked.

“Oh this is for Marco, but he’s over at Eren’s table right now.” The blonde male nodded and brought his attention over towards Eren’s table. Everyone else following suit, not interested in eating their watery soup or stale bread anyways.

“Did you see the Colossal Titan?” Some guy asked Eren eagerly.

Said male looked annoyed at this point, but he still answered the male's question. “Yeah, okay? I saw the big guy.” Some of those around him gasped in surprise. Avery just rolled her eyes at their response.

“Whoa seriously?” A blonde guy asked. “Okay, exactly how tall was he?” Another brunette guy asked.

“He stuck his head over the outer wall.” Eren replied.

“Whoa, wait! I heard he stepped over the wall completely!” Some guy exclaimed, awestruck. “So did I!” A red-headed female input. “That was the rumor in my village, too!”

“Nah. He was big, but not that big.” The green-eyed boy remarked, clearing up the rumor.

“So what did it look like?” Mina asked him.

“It had a mouth like a corpse. And no skin, just muscles.” He answered.

“And the Armored Titan? The one that broke through Wall Maria?” At this question, Avery leaned in a little more, being curious as to what Eren would answer. That day, she was on the same boat as the trio, but she was unlucky to not have seen the famous Titan. Or was she the lucky one? Next to her, Bertholdt noticed her rise in attentiveness. “Curious?” He whispered to her. Brown eyes locked with green, as Avery uttered a small, “Yeah.”

“Is that what they’re calling it? In all the panic, it was just another Titan to me.” This made the girl deflate a little bit, expecting a better answer. Suddenly, the girl heard the clank of a spoon falling. She glanced over at the commotion, finding Eren gripping his mouth, looking sick.

“Now they’ve done it,” She muttered, drawing the attention of three males. “People just can’t keep their noses out of other people's trauma, huh?” She remarked, frustrated. The three didn’t say anything, but they were a little shocked at the show of aggression from the timid female. Finally, Marco spoke up and told the group to back off.

“It’s not like that!” Avery looked back over at Eren, who surprisingly sprung back like nothing had happened. “Those stupid Titans. They’re really not that big of a deal.” He remarked scornfully. “If we focus on mastering the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear they give us, then it’s Titan payback time!” He said, shocking those around him. “I’ve waited years to be trained as a soldier. All of a sudden, the reality is sinking in.” The brown-haired boy continued, “I’m joining the Scout Regiment. Then I’m sending the Titans back to hell. I’m gonna butcher them all.”

“Hey, are you crazy or something?” The brown-eyed girl turned her attention to the male sitting across from her. “Not that it’s my business, but signing up for reconnaissance is like a death sentence.” Jean added smugly.

Eren got into a defense position, annoyed by what the two-toned male just told him. “I guess we’ll see. Or at least I will. You seem content hiding in the interior with the MPs.” He jabbed.

“Look, I’m just speaking honestly here, kid.” Said male remarked, seemingly unaffected. “I think it’s better than being some loud-mouthed, braggart, tough-guy wannabe pretending he’s not as piss-scared as the rest of us.”

Green eyes glared down at the sitting male as Eren furiously stood up. “Are you trying to pick a fight?”

“Stop it, you guys!” Marco scolded the two, however, his plea went unnoticed by the both of them. “Alright, sure. Makes no difference to me.” Jean agreed and also stood up. The two walked towards each other, the brown-haired male looking up at the taller male. Before things could get rowdy, the bell tolled, signaling the end of dinner. Jean sobered up and apologized to the shorter male. “Put ‘er there, kid. Whaddya say?” He asked as he raised his hand.

“Right. Yeah, I’m sorry as well.” Eren said, smacking Jean’s hand. Then he made his way out of the mess hall. The brown-haired male’s black-haired companion followed the male out. As she passed by Jean, Avery noticed his cheeks turned a nice shade of red. She smiled a bit and stood up. Reiner and Bertholdt glanced at her. “I’m going to turn in for the night. I’ll see you in the morning.” She smiled at them. The two waved as the girl made her way outside and towards the cabins.

As said female made her way over there, she passed by a blonde-haired girl giving Sasha some food. Both Avery and the blonde froze. “I won’t tell anyone.” The brown-haired female reassured the two, putting up her hands in defense. The blonde relaxed, and Sasha just continued inhaling the roll the blonde had snagged for her.

“Thank you, my name’s Krista. What’s yours?” The blonde introduced herself. “Avery.” The brown-haired girl answered. “I’m going to go now. I’m a bit tired.” Krista nodded and waved goodbye as the girl walked away.

The twelve-year-old girl finally made it to the cabins after a few minutes more of walking. She was required to share a bunk with another girl, however, the exhausted girl didn’t really care at this point, she just wanted to sleep. It seemed as though said girl arrived a little late, as the only free bunk was with another blonde female. Avery walked towards the bunk, alerting the other girl that someone was walking towards her. “Do you mind if we share this bunk?” the brown-haired girl asked timidly. The blonde girl only nodded and moved, leaving space for Avery. “Thank you.” She mumbled and climbed into the cot. It was very uncomfortable, the cot was rock hard and lumpy, however, the young girl didn’t complain, as she was so tired, she fell asleep in a matter of seconds. The blonde female glanced over at the girl next to her, expecting to introduce each other, however, she noticed the new girl was already asleep. She rolled over and tried to do the same, just like many other girls in the cabin. All of them knowing that tomorrow was the start of a grueling three years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Attack on Titan or any of the characters, except for Avery Natt.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Attack on Titan or any of the characters, except for Avery Natt.


End file.
